Revival
is the first episode of Kamen Rider Kuuga. Synopsis A group of archaeologists open a tomb that awakens horrible monsters, while journeyman Yusuke Godai is compelled to access a strange belt from the tomb to fight back against them. Plot The episode begins with a flashback showing Riku, the original Kuuga, fighting many Gurongi in his four basic forms. After defeating all the Gurongi, Riku is shown sealing himself away in a sarcophagus. In the present day, a group of archaeologists find Riku's sarcophagus, as the researchers open the sarcophagus they comment on how they can't believe that something like it was made in Japan. Then the mummified Riku's hand twitches but this goes unnoticed by the group. Outside the airport, Yusuke Godai talks to a young crying boy who lost his parents saying that he always thought guys who could smile through hardships were cool. He then tells the boy about the time when he was 8, he got lost on a peak called Annapurna in Nepal. Then, Yusuke begins juggling, getting the boy to stop crying and Yusuke gives him a thumps up. Soon after the boys parents find them and thank Yusuke for finding him. Sakurako Sawatari is shown examining photos of Riku's sarcophagus on her computer.she answers the telephone and it is someone named Makoto, Sakurako tells them she is busy deciphering ancient text from the Kurougatake ruins, she tells Makoto that other civilizations may have had similar texts. At this point Sakurako's co-worker leaves, leaving her alone in the office, Sakurako then tells Makoto that the inscription is not related to a curse. Then, a masked figure climbs up the vines on the outside of the building, climbs in the window, and then sneaks up behind Sakurako. Before turning around Sakurako tells the masked figure,who she revels to be Yusuke Godai, not to come in through the window. Yusuke then asks Sakurako about climbing the building, and she retorts with the fact that people will complain to them about him scaling the building. Yusuke then gives Sakurako the mask he was wearing saying that it was a souvenir from Indonesia and that it works as a talisman. Sakurako then asks Yusuke if he wants coffee but he says he can't because he has was going to the Kurougatake ruins. However, at that moment Sakurako's computer gets done translating two of the glyphs from the ruins, one of them meaning "death" and other meaning "warning", and Sakurako calls the investigation team to discuss it. Their equipment starts malfunctioning, as one of the archaeologists calls the police asking for help and another one video tapes a mysterious shadowy figure that was attacking them. Sakurako hears the groups cries for help over the phone and in a stunned way asks Yusuke what they should do, however, Yusuke is already headed out the door saying he will go over and take a look. Yusuke is driving his bike down the road in the rain when he stops at a red light, he then looks over and sees a large light blue energy beam shooting into the sky from the Kurogatake ruins and it releases many bolts of electricity into the surrounding air. The shadowy figure that attacked the archaeology group, which will later become known as N-Daguva-Zeba in his incomplete from or Unidentified Life Form #0, is seen walking though the forest with with a blue aura and trees exploding around him. #0 then shoots energy at the ground and says something in the Gurongi language, then several monstrous hands rise out of the ground as all the Gurongi that were defeated by Riku come back to life. The Police, including detective Kaoru Ichijo, have already arrived and started investigating the scene. Detective Ichijo comments that it was "a bit much for lightning", he also asks one of the officers if it was possible that there was an explosion, and the officer replies "No, I also checked with Kyushu University but there were no recored of any local earthquakes". Yusuke is then shown to be observing the site from the tree line, and upon seeing the entrance to the ruins Yusuke gets a sort of "flash" that surprises him enough to make him jump back. Yusuke then tries to sneak on to the site by running past detective Ichijo saying "sorry I'm late, i will get back to work" but the detective stops him and asks who he is. At which point Yusuke asks "sneaking in no good", and the detective asked what he was doing there. and Yusuke simply replys "warning of death" and then Yusuke explains about that being what Sakurako translated from the ancient texts at the ruin. at that point the detective asks Yusuke if he was related to the investigation team, and after explaining that he was "just passing through" Yusuke hands the detective his card which reads "Godai Yusuke, A Man Who Chases Dreams, Possessing 1999 skills. Detective Ichijo then asks a officer to take Yusuke to a patrol car. but on the the way to the car Yusuke points to the sky and yells "wait, whats that" all the police get distracted by this and Yusuke makes a break for the ruins entrance. Detective Ichijo sees this and blocks his path, but Yusuke gets around him by ducking under his arm, however, the detective then grabs Yusuke's ankle causing him to trip and the detective catches Yusuke before he falls and hits his head on a metal box. After getting back up Yusuke remarks "your good, detective", Ichijo then tells Yusuke that if he keeps interfering he will arrest him. At this point Yusuke beings to leave but then he sees an officer carry the Arcle out of the ruins in a large evidence bag and this triggers Yusuke to have another "flash" this one including a vision of Riku transforming into Kuuga's Mighty Form. Also, before he leaves Yusuke gets a good look at one of the glyphs on the side of the Arcle. Yusuke is out side the building and meets up with Sakurako, who he faxed a drawing of the glyph from the Arcle too. Then Detective Ichijo meets them outside, and Yusuke introduces the two of them. Later, inside the building Ichijo shows the two of them a video tape which was the only thing to survive, he also tells them that everyone died because they were frozen in a state of shock and fear. They then watch the video tape, which shows Riku's sarcophagus being lifted up from under it and tossed aside, then a shadowy N-Daguva-Zeba climbs though the hole that was under the sarcophagus, he is then seen holding up a belt, possible the Arcle, and then the same cries for help which were heard earlier are heard again at the end of the video. After ending the video Ichijo points out that it looked like the shadowy figure was attacked by the figure wearing the belt, Ichijo says this concerned him and that he wanted the original investigators to continue their work and that he pulled a few strings and got the Arcle out of evidence for them, then a officer enters the room and whispers something to Ichijo, who then excuses himself and thanks Yusuke and Sakurako. After the detective leaves Yusuke asks Sakurako what the glyph he faxed her ment and she said it ment "Chikara" or "Power". Several officers are responding to a disturbance, which is that an unknown creature had created a giant spider web there. The officers are then attacked by the creature, which is Zu-Gumun-Ba or Unidentified Life Form #1, the officers open fire on the Gurongi but it is revealed that it is resistant to gunfire. The Gurongi then attacks and kills all the police officers and even chases down the one that gets in his car and drives away. Yusuke and Sakurako are on their way out of the building when suddenly a patrol car drives through the door. Zu-Gumun-Ba then crawls out of passenger side door on all fours. The Grongi then stands up and looks at the Arcle which has fallen out of its case, and then suddenly the Arcle glows with a bright white light,and this triggers another vision of Kuuga fight Gurongi for Yusuke. The Gurongi then starts attacking everyone in the building which makes Yusuke mad then just as the Gurongi goes for the arcle Yusuke grabs it and tells Sakurako hide. Yusuke then puts the Arcle on and with intense pain it absorbs into Yusuke's body. The Gurongi then tosses Yusuke outside and then continues to beat him, then as Yusuke realizes that "at this rate, I'll die" he punchs the Gurongi and as he dose Yusuke's arm transforms to be white and armored looking, Yusuke then punchs and kicks the Gurongi and he changes more with each hit until finally he completely changes into Kuuga Growing Form. However, this first transformation seems to have stressed Yusuke's body as he falls to his knees and the Gurongi takes advantage of this and throws him around some more. But then Kuuga pushes a van into the Gurongi which puts him through a wall, but the Gurongi gets back up and they continue to fight eventually making their way to a nearby rooftop. Next, the Gurongi gets Kuuga cornered and is about to kill him when suddenly Detective Ichijo arrives in a police helicopter. Ichijo then starts firing at the Gurongi. This causes the Gurongi to get distracted and it shoots a web up to the helicopter and climbs up to attack Ichijo. However, before the Gurongi is able to strike the Detective, Kuuga jumps up to the helicopter and pulls the Gurongi out on to the side of the helicopter where they continue to fight until Kuuga finally manages to kick the Gurongi off of the helicopter and it falls through the roof of a warehouse. Kuuga then makes sure the detective is safe, Ichijo was surprised that Kuuga had saved him, and then Kuuga gives the detective a thumbs up. and when the detective asks Kuuga who he is, Kuuga simply says "later" and jumps out of the helicopter and safely lands on a nearby building. The Detective then makes a thumbs up and says "was that...". Cast * : * : * : * : Suit actor *Kamen Rider Kuuga: Form Changes *Kuuga - Growing Form Notes *This is the first Kamen Rider TV series in 11 years, the previous season Kamen Rider Black RX concluded in 1989. **While Kamen Rider Black RX was the first to air in the Heisei period, this episode is the start of the "Heisei Period" of Kamen Rider. *This is the first appearance of Kuuga's four basic forms, and is also the first appereance of Kuuga's Growing form. **Yusuke gains access to Kuuga's Growing form in this episode. *The end card for this episode started as black with white glyphs, but then switched to white with black glyphs. *The opening credits of this episode is dedicated to Shotaro Ishinomori, as he died during the planning stages of Kuuga ''in 1998. *This episode, followed by the next, was bundled together into a Special Version, which featured slightly altered scenes from the original airings. *This episode premiered alongside '' episode as part of the block that would ultimately become Super Hero Time in 2003, due to the partner series for Kuuga, , premiering two weeks after this. **This is the first Kamen Rider episode to air on TV-Asahi in 25 years. DVD releases Kamen Rider Kuuga Volume 1 features episodes 1-4: Revival, Transformation, Tokyo and Sprint. http://www.toei-video.co.jp/DVD/sp21/kuuga.html References